The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction recognizes daring, original, and innovative writing. A $10,000 advance and publication in Fall 2018 by Dzanc Books will be awarded to the winner. Finalists will be compiled in-house and passed along for evaluation to this year’s judges: Lindsey Drager (The Lost Daughter Collective and The Sorrow Proper), Chrissy Kolaya (Charmed Particles), and Daniel A. Hoyt, author of This Book Is Not For You, winner of the inaugural Prize for Fiction.

Established in 2017, the Dzanc Books/Disquiet Open Borders Book Prize seeks book-length manuscripts in fiction or nonfiction exhibiting a marked commitment to mutual understanding and cultural exchange across the globe. As the United States Government moves to erect barriers both physical and legal, Dzanc Books and the Disquiet International Literary Program in Lisbon, Portugal, strive to promote literature that crosses boundaries and to advocate for a diverse, global literary discourse. The winning submission will be awarded a $5,000 advance and publication in Fall 2018 by the Disquiet imprint of Dzanc Books.

The Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Prizecelebrates imaginative and inventive writing in the short form. Past winners include Kirstin Allio (Clothed, Female Figure), Anne Valente (By Light We Knew Our Names), and Jen Grow (My Life as a Mermaid). The winning submission will be awarded a $2,500 advance and publication in Fall 2018 by Dzanc Books.

All three contests will be open from March 1, 2017, through September 15, 2017 via our Submittable page (link to come). There is a $25 submission fee for each entry. A list of finalists for each prize will be published on October 16 and the winners will be announced on November 1.

Dzanc Books is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All contest fees will go toward funding the prizes, as well as supporting Dzanc’s commitment to producing quality literary works, providing creative writing instruction in public schools through the Dzanc Writers-in-Residence Program, and helping fund Disquiet International.